Before I begin, I just want to say this certainly was inspired by gameguy's blog on what he thought would be great for Pikmin 3, and even MrGhost's blog on what he wanted in the next Smash Bros. These blogs certainly jogged my thoughts a bit and honestly, I'm always thinking about possibilities in some of my favorite games and franchises. However, I've recently returned to playing F-Zero GX and I couldn't help but start going a bit deeper into what I think would make the ultimate F-Zero for the Wii U.

F-Zero GX is without a doubt the greatest racing game of all time. I know that's a huge statement to make but it's truth to me is clear. I'm a big racing fan and this game did just about everything right. The controls are perfect, with incredibly tight analog stick response combined with sliding and drifting to different degrees with the analog shoulder buttons. There really is no limit to how much control you have with so many different inputs you're given. This is doubly impressive considering every single of the 40 different hover craft control differently, from the tightly turning, to the very loose and drift-y craft (not to mention the hundreds of different vehicles you can create with the editor). While the perfection that was the GameCube controller will be missed, I’m hopeful that the Wii U controller will provide the precision and dexterity necessary to properly handle the game (though the lack of analogue shoulder buttons could be a big issue). Add to these superb controls the best tracks you'll see in gaming. There really is no lack of imagination, and the designers fully used the ability to in any height or direction. If you haven't seen an F-Zero track, you just are missing out. Then when you put all this together with the most robust racing AI I've seen (say goodbye to rubber-banding!), you've got an absolute masterpiece of a single player racing experience.

Truly spectacular race tracks

I want this part to stay exactly the same. Hear me Nintendo? Get the same team that made this (Sega) and make sure their racing engine is exactly the same. Same controls, same AI, same amazing track creator they used. In fact, if it's at all possible, have all of these tracks in the game as an unlock-able bonus. All 25 amazing tracks. Yes, of course, make at least 25 new ones, but GX's tracks were simply so fantastic, I have absolutely no problem playing them yet again (part of the reason I continue to play the game to this day). Keeping all of this intact will ensure that the Grand Prix mode will once again be perfect. Adding something to the controller screen is simply unfeasible during gameplay as it's much too fast paced to look down. I'd relegate it to menu navigation and UI for the most part. When I'm racing this fast, my eyes are going to be glued to the TV.

This is how I'll take my controller while racing

But what about the rest of the game? First, the not so crazy. Multiplayer needs to be online. Duh. However, I really do believe Nintendo needs to do what it can to support 30 people per race. While the standard local multiplayer was fun of course, it just wasn't the same when there were only 4 people. This game is about 30 racers, going at over 600 mph (1000 km/h), all vying for the top place. There's just no replacement for that experience (not to mention the crowding eliminates any chance of the highly controversial “snaking”).

Additionally, the “tickets” idea can come back from GX, but instead of just currency it could be turned into an entire RPG system, similar to what Call of Duty 4 did for shooters. Place better in races for more points. Add in “challenges” to encourage players to experiment while they race for bonus points. I think even a betting mode, where players bet on how well they think they would do, would be a great way to spice it up. A grand prix mode in addition to single races would be awesome as well and would make for some very competitive action. Really, this game is perfect for a competitive environment at the level of Smash Bros. and the more multiplayer options, the better.

That leads into the local modes, where the competition between friends, for fun or serious, can really take place. I'm just going to assume that only one Wii U controller is compatible for now and go from there. Obviously, 4 player split screen is a must for some classic action so classic controller support will have to be there. If the hardware can handle it, I'd also love to see up to 4 player grand prix with all the computers. Just bump down the graphics; I don't really care that much if it lets me hold huge races in my living room. And let me build my own grand prixs, choosing from the many excellent stages.

Imagine a player in control of each of those racers

However, this is mostly stock ideas. Yes, I want creativity within these standard modes, especially with track designs and how the points system works. But other than that, I think this game fits perfectly with mostly standard design. Where I want developers to really take a chance is in the story mode. For those that didn’t play GX, the story mode was more or less a challenge mode with some admittedly well produced cut scenes in between. The missions were also well known for their incredible difficulty, and that’s before you realize there’s a hard mode and a very hard mode after that. The “story” however, was pretty much nonexistent. I want that aspect to change. “A racing game with a deep story? Impossible!” I’m sure you’re thinking that, but hear me out. The F-Zero universe is actually fairly well thought out. Going through the pilot profiles in GX will reveal a concise back-story for every single racer, all of which are intertwined in a general backdrop that’s admittedly fairly shallow. However, there are historic events (the great crash of four years prior to GX for example) and some of the characters already have quite a bit of investment (Captain Falcon of course, Black Shadow, Dr. Stewart, Pico, among a few others). Really, they just need some fleshing out and I think this is the perfect chance.

There are actually quite a few characters and they all have at least some back-story, if not quite a lot.

Obviously, I don’t expect a story to include every racer in the franchise as that would encompass over 50. However, I believe constructing a solid story around the main characters that have been around for awhile or had the largest play in GX is completely possible. Personally, I see something of a detective story most fitting as Captain Falcon is hired to find out the truth behind the big accident. I can already see scenes such as Falcon chasing down suspects, the gangs causing trouble, Black Shadow of course making a mess of things, and plenty of twists. There are so many possibilities going from that vantage point with the huge cast of diverse characters that I think a legitimately compelling story is possible. The biggest hurdle will be the story telling, as Nintendo is well known for resisting cut scenes and even voice acting for financial reasons. However, Sega produced some very high caliber cut scenes in GX, including fairly solid voice acting, even if the story they told was pretty shallow. If Nintendo is willing to pull out all the stops on this big risk, I definitely think it would pay off with not only a great story, but really bringing the F-Zero universe to life.

The cut-scenes in GX were actually very good. Can we have more along with a compelling tale?

Of course, what about the gameplay for this story? I actually think they did quite good in GX. It should be relegated to some nonstandard racing. I don’t want them to waste time building other mechanics like letting you walk around and talk to people. That will just turn out bad. The game is about driving and I think there’s plenty of ways to expand on that, whether it be chasing down a suspected target, escaping from adversaries, speeding through an off road course, or driving out of a collapsing building, there’s plenty of variety as long as they construct the story around such set pieces and make enough of them so it's not just a bunch of long cut-scenes. I'm tempted to want to include at least some interaction in the story telling, such as choosing conversations (especially if it is a more detective-like story) but that may take focus off the racing which needs to be center stage.

I know I’m being quite ambitious here with the story mode. Not only is it not typical of Nintendo to invest that much into story, as they focus much more on text in their story driven franchises, but it’s not your typical universe for a story. It would be difficult, yes. However, if they did pull it off, it would really add to the package I feel, giving players something to really experience, not just excellent racing.

Looking at this, I have some pretty high expectations, and I know if there is an F-Zero game in the works, it probably won't be of this caliber. However, I know Nintendo is fully capable of making this kind of huge, feature rich kind of package and this franchise is just begging for it. They already have an incredible base to build off of. They just need some creativity and ambition. Hopefully Nintendo's claim to bring back the "core" into it's domain will mean they're willing to spend a few more bucks for a compelling game. If it does, I hope they choose F-Zero as one of the first as there is plenty of potential, as I've hopefully convinced you of. Come on, Nintendo, Captain Falcon wants you to really show us your moves!!

Well, we're slowly but surely making our way through this list. Now onto the epic number 24....

24. Yuan (Tales of Symphonia)

Yuan is probably my favorite character from Tales of Symphonia, based on coolness factor alone. It's hard to explain if you haven't played the game, but there's just an air of awesome that surrounds him. However, he's not just some faceless cool-guy either. He's got a good bit of depth; sometimes, too much I think.

To call Yuan a confusing character would probably be an understatement. Throughout the game, you really have no idea what side he's on, if he has a side, or maybe he's his own side. **SPOILERS From the way he dresses all of his soldiers like Desians, to the fact that he willingly attacks and defends your party ** his motivations remain unknown for much of the game. And even as you slowly begin to think you've got this guy figured out, he suddenly does something crazy, and you're lost again.

This elusive, shadowy nature is another reason I really like him, though I have to admit, it sometimes gets out of hand and isn't properly explained through the game. However, he certainly keeps the suspense up, as you never really know what he's going to do; he definitely provides the narrative with some nice twists as he's always screwing with everyone's plans, and telling the big secrets.

Yuan depicted in the anime. Yes, he must flaunt his hair like that.

** SPOILERS He's the one that explains Cruxis to you, he exposes much of the ex-sphere conspiracy, and of course, is the one to pull the plug on the Kratos-is-Lloyd's-father twist. And thenyou learn that he's actually one of the 4 heroes and an angel, and suddenly his coolness factor sky-rockets.**

He is truly quite a mystery throughout the game, and this is what I really love about him. Admittedly, it can get out of hand, and there are a few questions that don't really get answered about him, so that sets him back a few places on the list, but overall, he's an excellently developed character. Oh, and that sword of his is so freakin' cool.

I hope you enjoyed this entry in the list and I'll be sure to have more mysterious and tricky characters on my list soon as well.

Thanks for all the awesome comments on my last entry of my countdown! Great to see so many people interested in the awesomeness that is Fire Emblem (not to mention the already big fans). Today is someone a good deal different, though.

28. Clank (Ratchet and Clank series)

Unfortunately, I've only played Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time, so everything I know about him is from only that game, but I can tell you now, that's plenty to get him on this list. Not only is he a robot which is plenty cool in and of itself, he's easily one of the most personal robots in all of gaming. He has some excellent dialogue that really conveys his unique personality, and for the life of me, I just could not find any good clips on youtube, so description will have to suffice.

First, he definitely brings the nerd out in me. Whether it be the way he states "faster-than-light particle acceleration" the same way most would say a sandwich, or just his very professor-like voice, he'll make anyone want to be a nerd for a day. He's always ridiculously professional and technical. Every word is so properly spoken and his grammar would make any English teacher proud. However, he certainly has a tough side in him as well. He certainly is not afraid to bring the beat-down when necessary, but of course, only does so like a technical professional. This combo of personality is just wonderfully put together.

No this isn't from the games, but it'd be cool if it was

And, of course, there's his humor.... his absolutely horrendous humor. Whether it be him laughing "That certainly was...shocking!" as he zaps an enemy or "That scrap robot was just....scrapped!" his horrible puns never cease to make me shake my head in disappointment at his terrible puns. This makes him all the better as the jokes just get so bad that they're good. And to cap it off, he's always sure give his absolutely ridiculous laugh. Again, I just could not find a decent video of it, but I assure you it is hilarious. Reminds me a lot of Scooby-Doo actually.

As you can hopefully tell, Clank is just an irresistible character, and I just wish I had played more of his games. He's bursting with personality inside that little metallic body of his, not to mention plenty of terrible jokes. Hope you enjoyed this edition of my Favorite Characters countdown, and I'll hopefully have the next one soon!

I've been meaning to do this countdown for awhile now, but I just couldn't get my list right. I'd always remember a character I loved and would have to try and switch up positions, or kind of realize a certain character really wasn't that interesting, or some other issue. I also wasn't sure just how many I wanted to list out. 10? 25? 30? 50? 154359252? So I've been kind of messing with this blog for awhile, and now I think it's time to pull the trigger and let this new series run.

First off, what's this blog about? Being that I've played games for awhile, I've grown close to a number of characters throughout the years. Gaming, second only to perhaps literature, really allows for some very in depth character development, and they never cease to impress with diverse, complex, and unique characters. The fact that you can spend hours with them really allows for development. Those of you that know me will know that I'm a huge Nintendo guy, but just to let you know, you're not gonna see any Links or Marios for the most part. I feel that those kinds of characters are more like place-holders for your own envisioning of the character. They appear in every game in the series, don't have much background themselves, etc. Sure, I love Link, Mario, Ganon, Zelda etc. but they aren't they're own selves. I want to go through some of my favorite gaming characters that have their own face and being. No, they're not all deep, especially the first few. Sure, some of them are on this list just because they look awesome and can destroy everyone, but we need a few of those guys, right? And while I could easily just make this a Fire Emblem and Tales of Symphonia list, being how those games are so character driven, I promise to keep it mixed up and hopefully surprising from time to time. Enough chit-chat; whose the first one to be on my list?

Warning!!! There may be spoilers below! I'll mark anything I think is critical, but if you plan on playing the game or just hate having things spoiled, read at your own risk!

30. Ghost (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2)

Yes, I know my mouse is there...no idea how I missed that before

If you've played the game, you'll know that this is definitely one of those characters that's just plain awesome. He has zero development, and not much to develop off of in the first place (**spoilers heck, he dies 3 quarters through the game**). However, from the beginning, when you hear Gaz's familiar voice from CoD 4, and see that awesome mask of his, to fighting along with him in the battlefield through one of the most thrilling games ever, I just had to include this beast of a soldier. It really is his mask that says it all. I certainly wouldn't want to mess with this guy.

Put together with the fact that he'll do whatever needs to be done to get the bad guys (you see him tap a couple of car battery chargers before "questioning" a prisoner), and his precision in the fight, this is the ultimate soldier. **spoilers It's not enough to escape the treachery of General Shepherd however, and I must say, I actually felt something when he and Roach were literally thrown into the fire. There was just something about him and how nothing could beat him. Yet in the end, there always is.**

He's no complex character with a moving back-story, but he is the definition of awesome, and I'm quite proud to present him as number 30 of my top characters.

Yep, that's it for now. I'm gonna be doing this one by one. It's just way easier for me, and just allows me to get more in-depth (and as the list goes on, there are gonna be some big essays, I guarantee you). Plus, it means more blogs for me. I know this wasn't exactly an epic beginning, but we start at the bottom for a reason. It's just gonna get better from here.

Well, it's been a few days since the rather anti-climactic Battlefield 3 reveal. Here's the lame article if you're interested. As expected, the teaser trailer shows absolutely nothing, and the main news was that more would be revealed later. However, there were a few key points that were made and I began thinking about what this game needs to get my cash.

First off, right off the bat it is revealed that EA considers this the true sequel to BF2. My ears were immediately perked by this comment. It meant that EA was admitting that the Bad Company off shoot really wasn't the greatest idea. Indeed, the original Bad Company was definitely one of the most underwhelming releases when compared to the huge success of BF2. First off, it was console only, which obviously was not a good formula for a PC only franchise. Not only were so many elements that defined the series lost (huge, 64 player battles, jets, critical squad gameplay, a myriad of classes, etc.) but it was just so....meh. The only glimmer of hope in the game was the admittedly impressive destructible environments. While it was obviously fake, it certainly was never done on that level in a game and was quite a sight to see. Unfortunately, it appears they simply spent too much time in the horrendous single player to make some truly awesome multiplayer maps, not to mention the fact that it was console only so mods were nonexistent.

As you can tell, I'm not a fan of the original Bad Company. However, I will say, much was repaired with it's sequel. Not only was it back on PC where it belonged, everything was just a tad more refined, as well as just much more fun. The awesome Rush game mode is certainly a major factor, making some absolutely epic battles, especially with the returning, and even better destructible environments, and the ability to level buildings. However, I must say what really makes the game great is the continued support from DICE. I remember that classes were fairly imbalanced at launch, (especially the Medic). However, a patch was quickly released. And then another. And another. Until everything seemed to be in tip top shape. Along side patches were continual releases of different modes on different maps, allowing you to enjoy your favorite maps in different game modes. And finally, after months of nothing, DICE released 4 brand new maps, some of which are the best. This continued support is what really set BC2 apart in my mind. There definitely are a number of issues that need to be addressed still, but DICE did such a great job staying with the program and making sure this game was great.

And so that brings us to BF3, "true" successor to the masterpiece, BF2. In the grand total of one paragraph of info that was given out a number of important details was released. First and foremost, 64 player was back. This was definitely one of the glaring issues of BC2. Battlefield was always about, well, giant battlefields. And while 32 players was often too many players, it had nothing to do with the number of players, but just the level design. It was obvious the game was limited by the power of the consoles, and that the gargantuan levels needed for a fun, 64 player game just wasn't possible with the destructible environments. The new map, "Heavy Metal" definitely began to push in the right direction, with some truly awesome, open battles, yet, it was just so...empty. So I am quite interested in how DICE implements 64 players. No doubt, they will be tempted to make console maps, and just stick more players in, but seriously. DICE, you know that's a recipe for disaster. Please allow us to have 64 player versions of the map for the true Battlefield experience. This is easily one of the biggest issues facing BF3.

Another interesting point was that "prone" was back. This is actually a very interesting, since the fact that you couldn't go prone in BC2 was quite controversial. Not being able to lie down while under fire was certainly limiting. But at the same time, it really prevented a lot of the frustration that was found in Modern Warfare, with people hiding in corners going prone, picking unsuspecting people off, or even the playing dead trick ( though I must admit I did that myself and it was quite hilarious). Simply put, going prone can have a lot of balancing issues. One of the biggest things I feel that must be decided is how easily it is to go prone. Most every game lets you do it immediately, despite the fact that this makes no sense at all. This has led to the infamous CoD dropshot that is simply necessary to even survive. Yet, if you make going prone too realistic and slow, it makes using it frustrating in and of itself. As you can see, this one little detail can have huge consequences for the game.

Another seemingly innocent detail released was the return of jets. This is an interesting one because it was certainly one of the defining features of BF2. At the same time, in the end, no one used them effectively. They were just an easy way to get from point A to point B, since no one wanted to put in the effort of learning how to fly since it is pretty hard. Yet, like helicopters, if you have someone that knows how to fly, its a game changer, and I definitely embrace the return. And believe me, my dad is a master battlefield pilot and there is no stopping him. Perhaps a tutorial on flying would be nice though.

The last thing that was mentioned in the announcement was the return of a single player campaign as well as co-op. This is definitely another huge point for BF3 to get right. Simply put, Bad Company's (both of them) campaign was utter garbage. It's literally painful to play it's so poorly done. You can just see it's doing whatever it can to match CoD....but it falls short in every imaginable way. The story is horrendous, the action scenes are completely anti-climactic, presentation is terrible (you literally feel awkward watching the cutscenes because the character lines and animations are so... unnatural), and really it just was a waste of time when the multi-player could have been further improved. At the same time, the lack of single player was a huge criticism of BF2 for me. A great campaign can really make a game, especially for me. So I'm quite divided on this point for BF3. On one hand I know DICE has no idea what they are doing. On the other hand, there is the possibility that they have learned from their mistakes and could make something really special here. The fact is that it's in though, so here's to hoping it turns out I'm wrong.

So, as you can see, I see quite a bit of potential here; there's a ton that I like, but I'm definitely cautious about some other features, and how the consoles will dumb down some potentially awesome features. To end this analysis, I want to discuss some of the features I'd like to see either come back, be eliminated, or return from BF2, not BC2.

1. BF2 classes and squads: This is easily the biggest factor for me. The way BC2 minimized squads and classes was simply, utterly disappointing. Sure, it felt great at first that you could now do multiple things with the same class. But in the end it just made everything feel overpowered. Medics were now powerhouses as they would sit on health but also have and LMG. Engineers and their Gustavs could now just sit next to tanks and spam rockets and then do repairs when needed. And having weapons available to all classes was just stupid. A sniper simply should not be allowed to spawn with a G3. That's utterly idiotic. Automatic shotgun and a rocket launcher? Oh brother. Just returning to more classes and spreading out the responsibilities would help to the balance immensely. More importantly, however, is going back to bigger squads. Four people does not make a squad; plain and simple. I'd like to see twice that number (heck in real life it's usually 9 or 10). Teamwork is a huge part of Battlefield, and while BC2 certainly retained that, bigger squads (along with more players) would really make for a truly awesome experience.

2. Just plain fix spawning: Spawning sucks in all FPS games. I'm just gonna say that. No game has truly had a "good" spawning method. I will say that BF2's was quite reasonable, allowing you to choose to spawn at base or on your squad leader if he was alive. BC2 went too far, allowing you to spawn on anyone in your squad. Further, there definitely needs to be limitations on when you can spawn on your squad leader. If he's in combat, or even just too close to enemies, spawning on him should be a no go. It would just alleviate much of the frustration found on both sides. Also, when spawning in bases, there definitely needs to be an algorithm to keep you away from spawn campers/base rapers. Speaking of those noobs, in Rush, the defense simply needs to be kept from entering the attackers base. Nothing is worse than some noob sitting back behind your spawn that just moved up and constantly getting killed, and having to waste time looking for him.

3. Keep Rush: Rush is easily one of my favorite game modes of all time. Offense/defense game modes have always been fun for me (like TF2) but Rush definitely did a lot of things right. The sense of progression as an attacker is truly awesome, and it's nice to have drawn lines of attackers and defenders, rather than like Conquest where you simply have no idea where an enemy might be. Of course, much can be improved for Rush, especially with 64 players on the way. I would like to see more routes to the objectives, allowing for more flanking opportunities. Also, I think placement of the objectives needs to be improved, especially with whether or not they are in destructible buildings. I like having one in a building and one not, just for variety. Also, I feel that there needs to be more solid cover around them since it sometimes just feels impossible to get to the M-COM once things are fairly flattened out from battle, which makes both offense and defense frustrating.

4. Mess with the level system a bit: This one I really don't know what exactly should be done, but that there certainly needs to be some work. BC2 definitely did a lot right, especially with a variety of pins for bonus XP as well as getting stars for weapon proficiency. I can't help but feel that leveling up was too brutal though; it takes forever to level up. Even worse, you start out with absolutely nothing making just starting to get into the game very frustrating. And of course, just compared to the overwhelming amount of content in CoD's leveling system, BC2 does feel a bit lacking (when I do manage to run over someone with a UAV, I think I should get rewarded with some bonus XP, for example). However, I certainly would be fairly happy if they didn't change all that much, since it is quite good.

5. Correct reload animations: Okay, this one is just a joke and has absolutely nothing to do with whether or not I get the game, but it's just a pet peeve of mine. The reload animations are just bogus in Battlefield. Some games you unnecessarily cock, while others, you never do, even when you empty a clip. At least CoD animates it correctly, even if they don't keep the extra bullet in the chamber when reloading a loaded gun.

6. Mod support: Mods are awesome; plain and simple. There isn't a game that has mod support that would have been better if it didn't have mod support. BF2's mods were some of the best of all time (Project Reality, I'm looking at you). Not only are they a great way for people to stretch their creative muscles, we as players get some awesome new ways to play, and I'd say the game just gets that much more publicized, helping out the developer even more. Lack of mod support will definitely hurt this game much more than any excuse EA comes up with would help.

7. Better physics and graphics: And of course, this last one would be a very nice bonus. It is confirmed that they are using a new engine, Frostbite 2 (BC2 was Frostbite 1.5 more or less). However, I really don't see much improvement. It definitely would be nice to have more of a polymorphic physics model (not just pre-animated destruction), and that objects like boxes and broken tree branches would have proper weights (in BC2, a table, chair, and palm tree all have the same weight) and wouldn't disappear so quickly. Continued Quad-core support is expected, so I definitely see this as being possible, but DICE isn't Crytek so I have a hard time seeing this happen. Better graphics (specifically higher res textures) of course would be nice as well, but I'd rather have bigger battlefields, so no biggie.

In the end, I'm quite excited to see how BF3 turns out. BC2 was definitely beyond my expectations, especially with the developer support so I can see this succeeding. However, DICE simply cannot get lazy with this if this is to be a true sequel to BF2. Hope you enjoyed this in depth (and long) look at Battlefield 3 and what I think are some crucial aspects it needs. If you've got some genius ideas as well, be sure to let me know in the comments below!